Focus on Jessica Lewis

I was grateful that Rev. Anne McKee connected me with a PC(USA) church in Laurel, Mississippi, who was looking for someone to work with their youth and children. I spent 12 years at First-Trinity Presbyterian Church as their Director of Christian Education, and I was encouraged to start seminary during my time there. My family and I moved to Maryville in June 2020, and I took some time to focus on seminary course work. I worked part-time as a teaching assistant at Coulter Grove Intermediate School with my college suitemate, Emily Smithers Raulston ’07, and a lovely group of educators before I was hired at MC as the MAST Program Director in February 2022. I finished seminary in August of 2023 and was ordained by the Presbytery of East Tennessee in January 2024. I began my new role as the College Chaplain and Director of Campus Ministry on August 1, 2024.

Much of ministry does not fit a pattern or form, so a typical day involves being prepared for the unexpected. My days greatly consist of conversations with students, being present in the CCM and around campus for those who may need a listening ear or an encouraging presence, preparing for chapel services and CCM programming, meeting with campus and community partners to coordinate efforts, working with our faith-related scholars, participating in college ceremonies, representing MC beyond our campus, and leading our CCM staff.

Most recently, I was honored to have my ordination service at Maryville College, and it was a true joy to have members of our MC community participate in that service. It was amazing to see my own mentors and mentees leading worship together, and I am still overwhelmed by the presence of presbytery colleagues, MC co-workers and students, my extended family, and even members from First-Trinity Presbyterian Church who all traveled during frigid weather conditions to encircle me in prayer during that special service.

Editor’s Note: Jessica’s ordination was the first on the MC campus since the time of Isaac Anderson!

My years at MC were a spark for my faith journey and my eventual vocation. Campus ministry really gave me a safe space to ask questions and explore my beliefs, and it welcomed me into the fold of being the church in the world. Participating in Alternative Spring Break trips through the CCM gave me a sense of putting my faith into action. During my years as a student at MC, I was encouraged to truly look and see: to see the image of God in the people that didn’t look like me, to see the wonders of God’s love in the creation that surrounds this place, to see God at work in the hands and feet of my neighbors, and to see myself as beloved and called.

My family and I have a garden and a deck full of plants. We have really enjoyed growing some of our own food and flowers from seeds and sharing them with others. I also love birdwatching, reading, hiking, and cooking.

I think my family is what has made me the most proud. Our boys are a delight, and it is truly an honor to see them grow and learn. I am proud to be their mom, and they teach me so much about love, patience, care, and strength, to name a few. Josh is a true source of strength for me, and I am so proud of the way he serves and cares for our community as a paramedic. I know I would not have made it through seminary or the ordination process without the support of Josh, our boys, and our extended family. It was incredibly humbling to have them circle around me in that long process, and I am so proud of how they want to be a part of the ministry I have been called to. All of my “Lewis boys” find Maryville College to be like a second home for them: a place for them to meet new friends and cheer on the Scots, and I am so grateful to share the love I have for MC with them.

went from majoring in biology to serving as the Campus Chaplain!

The friendships made! I was a first-generation college student, so that first year was drastically impacted by the support of new friends as I took on this new world of college life. I remember us piling into dorm rooms to watch episodes of “Friends” and squeezing around one table in Pearsons so we could all eat together. Those friendships were a boon for my spirit, and I am so grateful for those continued connections in my life.

Go Scots by God!